and Vessels of Interest Ben Nicholls – UK Seconded National Expert

and Vessels of Interest Ben Nicholls – UK Seconded National Expert
EAASP CONFERENCE, BRUGGE – 19th APRIL 2016 EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL
CROSS CUTTING APPROACH Financial Intelligence Internet Referral Unit SOCTA Team Counter Terrorism Centre EC3 – Cyber Crime Centre Liaison Officer networks Now EMSC...... • An enhanced cross-cutting horizontal approach to identify and pursue any international criminal links and investigative leads in respect of organised crime groups, encompassing all criminal areas. Creation of European ‘Centres’ – for CT, cybercrime, migration + social media, strategic analysis – supported by FP Sustrans to identify and monitor the financial activities of organised crime groups. A need to harness the liaison officer networks and to bring in and deconflict bi-lateral initiatives. A need to work more closely with Interpol in Third Countries. EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

EMSC and EMPACT Operational Action Plan Europol´s Strategy “Europol’s Focal Points will support Member State investigations in the area of Serious and Organised Crime within the priorities set in the EU Policy Cycles, while special focus will be placed in the area of facilitated illegal migration.” OAP’s What powers us: European multi-disciplinary platform against crime threats – four year policy cycle across a number of crime areas. EMSC will participate in all strategic regular meetings, coordinating Drivers+ Co-drivers, Action leaders and EMPACT Support Unit, acting as the bridge between EMPACT OAPs and operational initiatives. EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

EMSC - FP Checkpoint Focus on Organised Crime Groups (not on migrants) Specific attention to ID Fraud, abuse of social media and financial investigations Cross cutting topics (terrorism, THB, commodities) Support on-going investigations /Joint Investigation Teams (with Eurojust) Develop tailored analytical and strategic products Provide on-the-spot forensic support – within new longer-term approach at the frontline. The heritage of FP Checkpoint (our legal basis) forms a good foundation for the newly established EMSC The purpose of the Focal Point is to support competent authorities of the M. S., as mentioned in Article 3 of the E.C.D., and Third States and organisations , in preventing and combating the forms of criminality within Europol’s mandate associated with the facilitation of irregular migrants towards, in and into the European Union by Organised Crime Groups, as well as any associated criminal activities uncovered in the course of the investigations into these criminal networks.” There are currently 25 MS associated to FP Checkpoint – NOT associated yet - ESTONIA, IRELAND AND LUXEMBOURG. A number of third parties - intl. organisations and countries are also associated: EJ, IP, CH, US Ice, FYROM, AL (RS and US CBP still waiting for final signature). Columbia recently joined. 16 in JOT MARE, including US ICE (+FX and Interpol) Reasons to implement the EMSC: Need to reinforce Europol position to better support EU MS LEAs but also third parties with Operational Agreements (WB countries for instance). Turkey is now a strategic partner (with LO shortly) and negotiations are in progress to become OP. EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

Headlines 2015 Nearly 22,000 contributions and 40,000 suspects 140,000 new entities 1,551 investigations supported Increasing info flow from MS. Need to focus on qualitative input/cases/on-going relevant investigations To encourage again MS to make use of EIS EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

Global criminal networks EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

Background to the EMSC May 2015 – European Agenda on Migration
Strengthen Joint Operational Team MARE; Consolidate Focal Point Checkpoint; Establish a single entry point for cooperation between Member States. Oct 2015 – E.C new officers for Europol Nov 2015 – JHA Council – Establish EMSC Strengthen support to Member State’s Law Enforcement Agencies; Subsume JOT MARE initiative; Extend Europol outreach; Cooperate with all relevant EU agencies; Deploy Officers to the hotspots. 22 Feb 2015 – Official opening of the EMSC EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL The political imperative is that the fight against migrant smuggling be a top priority for the European Union. The expansion of multiple criminal networks in migrant smuggling activity and increasing requests for operational support from EU MS and partner countries required a proportionate response from Europol. The European Agenda on Migration tasked Europol to strengthen JOT Mare (which started in March 2015) and its focal point (Checkpoint) and requested that this would result in a single coordination point for inter-agency cooperation on migrant smuggling. (May 2015) In October 2015 The European Commission agreed to finance an additional 30 posts for Europol to tackle the migration crisis - a 300% increase on existing staff. The JHA Council (November 2015) invited Europol “to accelerate the establishment of the European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC) to strengthen its capacity to support Member States in better preventing and countering migrant smuggling. The swift and effective deployment of officers at the hotspots on key migratory routes should be a component of this approach.” The EMSC has now subsumed the Joint Operational Team (JOT) Mare initiative and further extended the Europol focus, particularly on the Western Balkans area, in close cooperation with all relevant EU agencies, in particular Frontex, Interpol and Eurojust.

The EMSC The Valetta Summit action Plan (November 2015) committed to implement or upgrade national and regional anti-smuggling and anti-trafficking legislation, policies and action plans in countries and regions of origin and transit of migration – and to identify single national contact points for anti-smuggling and trafficking activities to enhance cooperation, including with counterparts in EU Member States and associated countries, and in Europol. Centralised & Proactive centre of expertise The goal of the EMSC is to have a decisive role in actively supporting MS to target and dismantle organised criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling, with a focus on criminal hubs but also on new and emerging hotspots and MOs. The EMSC will combine the FP Checkpoint and JOT Mare intelligence-led approach to identify and profile key criminal targets. Dedicated specialist – expert in ID Fraud and investigation Participation in EMPACT ID Fraud 3.1 Identify forgery methods in order to connect cases – especially production/sourcing. Use of Europol Lab – standardise scan Standardise the way information on documents seized is collected Provide MS with updates about significant trends/methods The core business of the EMSC will be concentrated on operational support – providing specialised expertise to investigations conducted by MS LEAs and partners, both from Europol HQ but also in the field at hotspots, working side by side with MS specialists and other EU and international partners. It will have an important role in coordinating cooperation with external agencies and NGOs – UNHCR, IOM, EASO, ICMPD, IMO – who are often eyes and ears on the ground. Also in consolidating operational exchange of intelligence through legal agreements with e.g. EUNAVFOR Med, EMSA, NATO (problems with classification). Long term flexible support – NEW!! To improve and strengthen the investigative and analytical support on the spot, EMSC will establish and deploy Mobile Investigation Support Teams (EMIST) and Mobile Analytical Support Teams (EMAST). These teams will provide longer-term specialised, on-the-spot investigative and analytical support to MS authorities, greatly improving operational coordination and allowing Europol to react quicker to emergency situations. Support to the European Union Regional Taskforce The EU RTF coordinates EU agencies’ support to frontline MS (currently Italy and Greece). EMSC will feature as the Europol contact point for the EU RTFs. Strategic Strategic support concerning trends, systematic monitoring of migratory routes, risk assessments, early warnings and modi operandi will also be readily available. The EMSC will collect all intelligence centrally on crimes that are supporting migrant smuggling or those that are evolving as a consequence of migrant smuggling. Intelligence shows clear links between migrant smuggling and other crime areas - drugs trafficking, property crime and trafficking in human beings. EMSC will highlight these links, including on terrorism. The growing document forgery market, the expected increase in labour exploitation and other activities linked to the facilitation business will be closely monitored. EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

Enhanced Operational Support EMIST/EMAST: on-the-spot support in response to MS requests: EMIST for smooth information exchange, selection of valuable data, cases prioritised EMAST for embedded pure crime analysis Aims: Enhance cooperation between Europol and Member States Improve operational opportunities – a flexible approach Identify High Priority cases at an early stage Tackle criminal networks along whole routes Harmonise and deconflict mirror investigations Organise common arrest days, support JITs Suppress current migratory pressure by dismantling or disrupting EU-wide OCGs Stepping up investigations (including forensic/operational support), information and intelligence exchange on facilitation of irregular transit and stay within the EU. This enhanced cooperation should deal with criminal networks facilitating migration to the EU as well as secondary movements from the Member State of disembarkation to the final destination (Actors: host Member State, in particular national prosecutors and judicial authorities, Europol, Eurojust as needed). Europol can : support migration and law enforcement authorities by providing secure-information sharing opportunities, expertise, strategic and operational analysis relating to facilitation of illegal migration in the Mediterranean as well as onward secondary movements of migrants. (Vienna) provide on-the-spot (forensic) support by direct cross-matching of information gathered with Europol’s database, as well as analytical resource to maximise the opportunities to identify and link the organised crime groups involved. support capacity building within law enforcement authorities, by providing training and tools. EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

Prioritisation Based on indicators, with review after six months Based on what criteria? Is something missing? Which countries? EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

Detections of Illegal border-crossing, Jan–Feb 2016
FRONTEX - Limited

Security vs. humanitarian crisis: Conflicting pressures

Idomeni - flashpoint Estimated trapped in Greece 12000 at Idomeni – won’t be shifted to other camps FYROM accused by GRC of using excessive force FYROM accuses GRC of standing idly by… EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

EMSC deployments: Guest Officer concept Following the Member States meeting within the European Council on Counter-Terrorism held on 20 November 2015, after the attacks in Paris the week before, the Council, in the context of strengthening controls at the external border, called on Europol to “deploy guest officers to the hotspots in support of the screening process, in particular by reinforcing secondary security controls.” Also to better support EU MS due to the current migration challenges. Reinforcing security at the external borders of the EU, Europol will implement the guest officers concept primarily by involving seconded national experts, as foreseen in the Europol Council Decision. Enhancing Security at external EU borders; To support front line EU MS to implement screening process, in particular by reinforcing systematic secondary security controls. Enhancing immediate checks against information held by Europol to early detention of criminal/ terrorist threats. Europol will initially operate in all five hotspots as currently established for Greece. EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

GREECE: First three months of 2016
what next? GREECE: First three months of 2016

Western Balkans – Possible scenarios and likelihood
FRONTEX - Limited

JOT MARE update – vessels Closing borders in Greece and EU-Turkey agreement on returns will precipitate displacement to alternative sea routes. High probability that large-scale human smuggling by sea will return, with Italy main intended destination. High probability that yachts, motor-cruisers and fishing boats will be used to circumvent Greece. Very likely that smaller boats and light aircraft will be used from west coast of Greece or Albania to reach Italy. Increased threat from clandestine activity targeting ferry and rail routes, HGVs (TIR) and containers. Increased likelihood of visa abuse (pseudo professional seamen), stowaways, crew desertions. EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

JOT MARE update – vessels Europol is working to provide a holistic overview and to deconflict law enforcement activity. Focus is on operators and owners, not ship tracking. OCG poly-criminality using larger ships is highly prevalent. Closer working with other Focal Points. 188 ships currently on the VOI list, but only 50 can be shared. Handling code and OSR information is problematic. Vessels of Interest list on its own is not intended to precipitate interdictions. Further work on satellite telephone usage, boat and engine supply (Interpol), chartering, flag states. All vessels, large and small, are in scope. EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

JOT MARE update – vessels EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

EUNAVFOR Med Currently a big increase in numbers from Libya to Italy (+45%) after a year seeing little/no increase. More fishing boats from Egypt. PHASE 2: Stopping, Boarding and Searching the vessels, its cargo and persons on board to collect info/evidence If evidence indicates that suspicion of smuggling activity is found: seize the vessel and temporarily apprehend persons on board divert the vessel and/or conduct persons on board to a designated port Limiting freedom of movements to the smugglers, deterring and disrupting the criminal business model SEARCH AND RESCUE IS NOT PART OF THE MISSION, BUT TO DATE EUNAVFOR MED HAS SAVED OVER LIVES No direct operational interaction with NATO in the Aegean. EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

Social Media Increase the number of accounts that are identified, investigated, monitored and referred for closure Coordinate activity across the international law enforcement community and share best practice Increase capacity and training EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

EUROPOL UNCLASSIFIED - BASIC PROTECTION LEVEL

and Vessels of Interest Ben Nicholls – UK Seconded National Expert

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